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The computer

A computer is a digital electronic machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of
arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern computers can perform
generic sets of operations known as programs. These programs enable computers to perform a wide
range of tasks. A computer system is a "complete" computer that includes the hardware, operating
system (main software), and peripheral equipment needed and used for "full" operation. This term
may also refer to a group of computers that are linked and function together, such as a computer
network or computer cluster.
A broad range of industrial and consumer products use computers as control systems. Simple
special-purpose devices like microwave ovens and remote controls are included, as are factory
devices like industrial robots and computer-aided design, as well as general-purpose devices like
personal computers and mobile devices like smartphones. Computers power the Internet, which
links billions of other computers and users.
Early computers were meant to be used only for calculations. Simple manual instruments like the
abacus have aided people in doing calculations since ancient times. Early in the Industrial Revolution,
some mechanical devices were built to automate long tedious tasks, such as guiding patterns for
looms. More sophisticated electrical machines did specialized analog calculations in the early 20th
century. The first digital electronic calculating machines were developed during World War II. The
first semiconductor transistors in the late 1940s were followed by the silicon-based MOSFET (MOS
transistor) and monolithic integrated circuit (IC) chip technologies in the late 1950s, leading to the
microprocessor and the microcomputer revolution in the 1970s. The speed, power and versatility of
computers have been increasing dramatically ever since then, with transistor counts increasing at a
rapid pace (as predicted by Moore's law), leading to the Digital Revolution during the late 20th to
early 21st centuries.

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